Machine for placing articles of flat or oblong cross section side-by-side in an oblique position



Sept. 19, 1933. NEFF 1,927,647

MACHINE FOR PLACING ARTICLES OF FLAT OR OBLONG CROSS SECTION SIDE-BY-SIDE IN AN OBLIQUE POSITION Filed Jan. 30, -1931 Patented Sept. 19, 1933 MACHINE FOR PLACING ARTICLES F FLAT on OBLONG csoss SECTION SIDE-BY- SIDE IN AN OBLIQUE POSITION Johannes Neff, Dresden; Germany, assignor to Universelle Cigarettenmaschinen-Fabrik J. G. Muller & 00., Dresden, Germany Application January 30, 1931, Serial No. 512,381,

and in Germany February 4, 1930 v 9 Claims.

My invention relates to machines for placing articles of flat or oblong cross section, such as cigarettes, side by side in an oblique position.

It is an object of my invention to so design a machine of this type that the articles automatically assume the oblique position desired.

, To this end I provide a downwardly extending chute with a curved bottom for the reception of the articles. v

The articles supplied at the upper or inlet end of the chute and speeded up at this point en gage from below-and erect into oblique position the articles which are already in the chute and aretemporarily arrested. The oblique posi the bottom of the chute. The articles assume a position with respect to each other which is similar to thatof scales or tiles. The articles are subdivided into groups and when the articles which make up a group have been placed in oblique position the means for arresting them .is

retracted and the group is fed toward a packing I station where the articles are delivered to a package. 1 T

V A machine for handling cigarettes in the manner described will be shown by way of example but it is understood that my invention may be applied to any other articles of flat or oblong cross section. I I 1 It has already been suggested to form groups of cigarettes in which the cigarettes .are placed as described but in the old machines for effecting this it was necessary-to supply the cigarettes separately, or to provide mechanism for erecting them. i

A In my machine the cigarettes are influenced by gravity and velocity only and the required overlapping position is thus obtained without mechanical means, damage to the cigarettes is prevented and the output is necessarily high as the cigarettes require speeding up 'at the inletend of the chute. v The cigarettes are fed to my machine in the usual manner by conveying cylinders or conof the chute, preferably by rotary brushes.

Ina preferred embodiment of my machine, in combination with the rotary brushesreferred to, and-a stop for arresting the first cigarette in ahead of the packing station, anda retainer tion of the articles is due to the curvature of veying chains but are sped up at. the inlet end gear in meshwith gears 32 and 3 7.

each group, that is, the cigaretteywhich leads in the feeding direction, I provide a pushenforposiwhich engages behind the last cigarette of the group and holds the group at the intermediate station until it is moved on to the packing station and delivered to a package. I The operations of the various means areso timed with respect-to each otherthat the stop for the first cigarette remains'in activej position during the operation .of the pusher .but is re}. tracted as soon as the auxiliary feeder starts to operate, and the retainer is moved to engage behind the last cigarette when the group has arrived at the intermediate station. 7 1

Inthe drawing aflixed to this specification and forming part thereof a machine embodyingf myl invention is illustrated diagrammatically byway of example. I

In the drawing" -Fi g, 1 is a partly machine,.

Figs. 2 and 3 are sections on the lines 2 .2 ,a'nd' 3-3 in Fig. 1, respectively, and

Fig. 4 is. a detail showing part of the curved chute and its stop. f} Referring now to the drawing, 38 is the base sectional elevation of 5 plate of 'the'm'a'chine, and 34 is itsdriving shaft which is mounted to rotate in bearings 39 and 40 Fig. 2. 7 is a sprocket keyed on the shaft 34 and 1 is 'a chain-conveyer for feeding cigarettes to the machine which is operated by the sprocket 7. Two links of the chain 1 only are shown in Fig. 1, each with a pair of recesses 41 for: the reception of cigarettes- 35 is a' spur gear on on'ejendof the shaft'34 which through intermediate gears 33 and 42 rotates a spur gear 32 on'the outer end of a shaft 43 in a bearing 44. 3 is a speedingup brush on the inner end of theshaft 43. '45 is a shaft in a bearing 46 which is on the opposite side of the machine and in line with the shaft 43, and 47 is another speeding-up brush on the inner end of shaft 45. :Means, not shown, is pro: vided' for rotating the brush 37 at the same speed as the brush 3. '48 is the shaft of the auxiliary feeder 30 which is mounted above and'slightly to the rear of the brush shafts 43 and 45,37 is'a'spur gear on the shaft 48, and 36 is an intermediate The cigarettes which are fedto the machine by the chain 1 in the direction of the arrow, are delivered-bythe links to two; tracks 2 on which their ends are supported, and moved as far as x. Here they are engaged by the brushes ,3 and 4'7 and delivered to a chute .the'front end. of which has a curved bottom asshownat 4. 6 are guiding strips extending in parallefrelation to and above the rails 2 for holding the cigarettes PAT T OF R s which the bar 51 is applied by the spring 50.

. cigarettes into a horizontal passage-14 adjoining down on the'chute 4. The cigarettes of each group are speeded up by the brushes. '5 is a stop which extends .into' the chute through a slot in its bottom, the stop being divided as shown in Fig. 3, so as to engage theends of the cigarettes near the rails 2and the strips 6. The stop, or rather, the stops, 5 are secured to a rocking frame 15 which is pivoted at 49 to one arm of a rocking lever 16 fulcrumed at 17. 50 is a spring which tends to pull the frame 15to the rear, 51 is a transverse bar in the frame .1 5, and 52 is a check on the frame of the machine to 18 is a roller at the free end of the rocking lever 16 and 19 is a cam on a shaft'53 to which the roller 13 is applied by a spring 54. Rotation is imparted to the shaft 53 by. any suitable meana'not shown.

8 are pushers which are fitted to slide in radial 'slots of the sprocket 7, each with a finger 8 at one end, and a roller 9 at the other, and 11 are springs tending to apply the rollers 9 to fixed cams 1"0. g

The pusher fingers engage the cigarettes as soon as they have been delivered to the tracks 2 "by "the links 1, and move them toward the brushes 3, 47. The rollers 9 at the ends of the pushers '8 the "fingers 8 of which have rotated so far, now rise on the cams l0 and advance into slots of the chute 4, placing the last cigarette of chute 4, and ov erlapping each other like scales or tiles.

The last cigarette of the group after having been released by the pusher fingers 8 is ready to be engaged by one of the arms of the-spider 30.

The spider, or auxiliaryfeeder, 30 is equipped with fingers 12 at the ends of itsarmswhich are pivoted to the armsat 30 and equipped with springs '31 tending to holdthe fingers in line withthearms. When the auxiliary feeder 30 engages the 'last cigarette of a group by one of "its fingers12 the stops 5 are retracted through the medium "of the cam 19 and the parts connected to it 'andthe finger 12 now push the group of the chute; 4. When the first cigarette of the group has "arrived at the intermediate station 2 the finger 12 strikes a dog .29 which is so pitched with respect to the position 11 that the last cigarette of the group is just below it when the first one -is at 'y. The feeder 30 rotates continuously 1 and the fingers 12 slide across the dog 29 while 4 at 56,'with one 'ofits arms engaging the cam 25 under the pressure of a spring '24,, 23 'is a link 7 pivoted to the'other arm of the lever atone end, and to'a retainer 20 atthe other. The retainer 20 isfulcrumed on the passage 14 at 21 and itsthe auxiliary feeder 30 that the sto'p'isretracted, whereupon one of the fingers 12"pushes the group toward the intermediate station where the e first 'ci'garetteis at 'y, and the retainer 20 engages behind the last cigarette. It is particularlyimportant that the fingers 8' of the pushers 8 not only place the last cigarette in the oblique position required on the curvedvbottom of the chute 4 but also move it into a definite position in the chute where it isengaged by one of the fingers 12. The ratio of the gears intermediate the shafts 3'4 and 48 is such that the pusher fingers In the :claims .afiixed to thisspecification no selection of any particular modification of the invention Iisintended to the exclusion of other modifications thereof and the right to subsequently :make claim to any modification not covered by these claims is expressly reserved. I'claim': V '1. In a machine for placing articles =o'f fiat'or oblong cross section side by side in an oblique position, a downwardly extend-ing chute havinga curved bottom, means for feeding articles to said chute, a stop for temporarily arresting the articles in said chute, and means for intermittently moving said stop into, and retracting it e from,

said chute.

2. In a machine for placing articles of flat or oblong cross section side by side in an oblique position, a downwardly extending chute having a curved bottom, means for feeding articles to said chute, a stop for temporarily arresting the 'articles in-said'c'hute, means for intermittently moving said stop into, and retracting it from, said its chute, and means near the inlet end of said chute for speeding up said articles.

3. In a machine for placing articles of flat or said chute, and a-rotary brush near the inlet of said-chute for speed-ing up said articles.

- ip-In a machine for placing articles of flat 'or' oblong cross section side by. side in an oblique position, a downwardlyextending-chute having a curved bottom, means for feeding articles to said chute, a stop for temporarily arresting the'arti' cles in saidchute, :means for intermittently moving said stop into, and retracting it from, said chute, and an auxiliary feeder for moving said articles to an intermediate station ahead'of a packing station. I V r 5. In a machine for placing articles of 'flat for oblong cross section side by side in an oblique position, a downwardly extending chute having a :curved bottom, means for feeding articles to said chute, a stop for temporarily arresting the articles in said chute, means for intermittently moving said step into, and retracting it from, said chute, and an auxiliary feeder including an articleengaging finger and resilient :means h'o'lding said finger in a definiteposition; forimoving said articles to an intermediate station ahead 0f a packing station.

-6. Ina machine for placing articles of'fiat or oblong cross section side -by side in an oblique position, a downwardly extending chute having a "curved bottom, 'means for --'feeding articles to said chute, and "an auxiliary feeder including an article 'engaging fingerfa'nd resilient "-means l io'ldcurved bottom, means for feeding articles to saiding said finger in a definite position; for moving said articles to an intermediate station ahead of a packing station, and means on said chutefor moving said finger out of-active position with respect to said articles.

7. In a machine for placing articles of flat or oblong cross section side by side in anbblique position, a downwardly extending chute having a curved bottom, means for feeding articles to said chute, a stop for temporarily arresting the articles in said chute, means for intermittently moving said stop into, and retracting it from, said chute, an auxiliary feeder for moving said articles to an intermediate station ahead of a packing station, and means for retaining them at said intermediate station.

8. In a machine for placing articles of flat or oblong cross section side by side in an oblique position, a downwardly extending chute having a chute, a stop in said chute for temporarily arresting said articles, an auxiliary feeder for moving said articles to an intermediate station ahead of a packing station, and means operatively connected to said stop for retaining them at said intermediate station.

9. In a machine for placing articles of flat or oblong cross section side by side in an oblique position, a downwardly extending'chute having an intermediate station ahead of a packing station.

J OHANNES NEFF. 

